The Wheel Turns
by Lord22
Summary: When the killer's true identity is revealed it is not Satoru but Yashiro who goes under the ice. Now Saturo must face his greatest challenge yet. Living the next eighteen years in a child's body. SatoruXKayo.
1. The Wheel Turns

**Chapter One:**

It had all happened so quickly. One minute Satoru had been talking casually with the man who was like a father to him. Then everything changed and he realized that man had just been an act. Now here he was, sinking into the freezing water, unable to get free as that same man walked away unscated. Ready to kill again.

More people losing their loved ones and being framed for it. More mothers losing daughters and sons, maybe even being framed for their murder.

He couldn't let that happen! He couldn't!

'Yashiro!' he roared 'I know your future!'

A blue butterfly flew overhead. And then the water was gone and he was staring at a pack of laxitives in the dashboard of Yashiro's car.

'-oh and about the car,' Yashiro was saying. 'I borrowed this one earlier.'

He had mere moments. He'd gone back onto a few seconds but maybe he could do something.

'I was looking for something specific for today.' continued Yashiro, oblivious. 'Generic model, generic paintjob. A car that's so ubiqudious no one would even miss it.'

What could he do? He'd been unable to unbuckle the strap, but maybe he could wriggle out of it? No, there was no time. He needed to distract Yashiro. The wheel. They were moving very quick.

'You know, this was the first time I put that theory into practice.'

Satoru grabbed the wheel and hauled on it. It took Yashiro by surprise and he pulled it to a sharp left. The car swerved off the road, hitting a stone and flipped over. Satoru was thrown around in his seat as they slid down toward the ice, which cracked with the impact.

Now he was hanging upside down, the airbags, smashing into him. For a moment everything was a blur. Gradually he came to and found himself hanging upside down from the top. Beneath him through the sun roof he could see the ice. It was cracking.

Struggling with the seat belt he tried to pull it off. But it was rigged. Wriggling in it he managed to slip out to hit the ceiling and the cracks widened. Then a hand gripped his leg. Yashiro had gotten from the drivers seat, and his forehead was bloody. A smile was still on his face.

'Don't go anywhere, Satoru.'

'Let go!' roared Satoru 'The ice is breaking!'

'All the better.' said Yashiro, forcing him down and gripping him by the throat. 'To tell you the truth, murder was getting a bit stale. Every child I kill is just a little less satisfying. We really are just rodents scurrying to keep our heads above the water just a few moments longer, even if it means climbing over the corpses of our siblings.

Sooner or later we drown. Why not sooner?'

This guy was nuts. Saturo couldn't breath, and the ice cracked further. Bringing up a foot Saturo kicked Yashiro in the face with both feet. The grip loosened and he slipped out. But Yashiro stood and rushed after him.

Saturo pulled himself out of the car onto the ice. Turning around he saw Yashiro halfway out of the car. But he'd gotten tangled up in the seatbelt. Then the ice began to break. Satoru ran and got to the shore just in time to see the ice break and the car sink into it.

Get got one last glimpse of Yashiro gripping the edge of the ice, a smile on his face, before he was hauled downwards into oblivion. For a moment Saturo stared as he watched the pool of icy water where his teacher, the person he'd sometimes wished was his dad had been a moment ago. Now he was dead. All that was left was a void he had to fill.

Turning he made his way up the slope back toward the road. It had begun to snow slowly and it was getting colder. He'd have to hitchhike a ride or he'd probably freeze to death on his way back. So he began to run. Where was he anyway? He hadn't really been paying attention to the directions. Only that they had gone through a tunnel.

Mr. Yashiro was dead.

It struck Satoru suddenly. He had killed his teacher. The teacher who in an alternate timeline had killed his mother, Kayo, Hiromi and Aya and so many others. And Saturo had killed him.

No one could blame him for what he had done, could they? It had been him or Yashiro.

What happened now? What did he tell Kenya, and the others? Everyone had liked Yashiro. He'd been one of the most popular teachers. Would they believe him when he told them that he had been a serial killer? Especially when there had been no killings in this timeline? Not here at any rate.

Of course not. Saturo didn't have any evidence anyway. The truth wasn't going to save any of the people Yashiro wrongfully convicted. It would probably only upset people.

He was shivering. Clutching himself close he tried to ignore his shaking limbs and chattering teeth as he made his way to the tunnel. It was less windy in here, so it was a bit of an improvement. But there also wasn't as much room to walk. No sideway, no sidelane. If a car came by he'd have to stick close to the wall to avoid getting killed.

He ran and he ran until eventually he saw some headlights coming toward him. A car stopped before him and the window lowered. 'Hey kid, what are you doing out here?'

'I… I'm lost.' said Saturo 'There was a car wreck and Mr. Yashiro he… I need to get home.'

'Where is home?' asked the man 'I'll give you a lift.'

Saturo gave him directions and was driven back toward home. He spent the ride in silence. When at last he arrived he thanked the driver and got out before approaching the door. It was over. He knocked.

The door opened and Mom looked out at him. 'Satoru, where have you been kiddo? I was worried to death?'

'Mom I…' Saturo gasped. 'Mr. Yashiro and I were driving and we crashed. He… he got pulled down into the lake. He got me out of the car, but I couldn't do anything to save him! I could have saved him!'

'Oh my god.' said Mom 'Come in, I'll, I'll call the police.'

He'd lied. Lied about the killers identity. No one would ever know but him.

It was over.

He'd won. Yashiro was dead. Kayo was safe. Saturo suddenly felt more exhausted then he ever had in his life and he fell asleep and slept like the dead. When he awoke he brushed his teeth and went about his daily routine. Then it hit him.

He didn't snap back from revival. He'd only done it once when he'd failed to save Kayo the second time. But he hadn't snapped back yet.

'Oh my god.' he said at breakfast.

'Are you alright?' asked Mom.

'I just realized that I'm going to have to live the next eighteen years in real time.' said Saturo.

'Well that's how time works.' said Mom. 'You've got to live one day at a time.' She paused. 'Kiddo, I've got some news.'

'Yes?' asked Satoru.

'They got the car out of the water.' said Mom 'I think they got there a little after you walked away. Mr. Yashiro is alive.'

Satoru froze. 'He… he is?' Had he managed to keep the dread out of his voice.

'Yes,' said Mom 'but… he's in a coma.'

'He…' Saturo tried to control his hands shaking. 'he will wake up eventually though, right?'

'We don't know.' said Mom 'It's too early to say.'

Things had just gotten a lot more complicated.

* * *

 **Authors Note:**

Okay so I finished Erased a couple of days ago. Great show, though the ending was a bit lackluster. Anyway this is my take on an alternate ending. Enjoy. I may make more chapters in the future.


	2. Substitute

**Chapter Two:**

School was more awkward than it had been before. When he had first arrived in the past Satoru had been too confused about what was going on to be embarassed. After that he'd been dead set on his mission of saving Kayo, and hadn't had time for embarassment.

Now all that was done. He was a twenty nine year old in the body of a eleven year old reliving his life. What was he supposed to do with himself now? He'd expected to just get teleported back to his old life, but that hadn't happened.

Maybe he'd changed things so much that they couldn't just snap back.

'Hey Sutoru.' said Kenya during a free period. 'Can I ask you something personal?'

The last time he'd been asked that question it was about whether he had a crush on Kayo. What was it this time? Kenya was always picking up on things. 'Yeah?'

'Why were you and Mr. Yashiro out driving in the first place?' Kenya asked.

That was the last question he wanted to answer now. 'I uh, I thought I saw Misato in a car and asked Mr. Yashiro to help me follow her. We passed the car and it turned out that I hadn't seen right. Then the car slipped on some ice and… and…' He hesitated, memories flooding back.

'Hey Satoru-' began Kazu as he blundered in. 'How did you get those bruises? Around your neck?'

Oh crap. What if they suspected? 'The seatbelt it uh… I…'

'I'm sorry, we shouldn't be asking these kinds of questions.' said Kenya, before pausing. 'Satoru, do you think the kidnapper is gone?'

'I… yes.' said Sutoru 'I'm positive.' Kenya knew, or at least suspected.

'That's good.' said Kenya.

At that moment the last person Satoru had been expecting came into the class. It was Kayo and she was smiling for a change. She ran up to Satoru and hugged him. Saturo felt a blush coming to him as he hugged her back and murmurs came from the rest of the class.

'It's good to see you again, Kayo.' said Saturo as they separated. 'I didn't think you'd be coming back.'

'Grandma made all the arrangements for me.' said Kayo 'I wanted to see you guys again.'

'Wow, you guys are really serious about this aren't you?' asked Osamu.

'What?' said Saturo 'Um…'

'So, where is Mr. Yashiro?' asked Kayo.

'Mr. Yashiro,' said Saturo 'he got in this car wreck and he's in a coma.'

Her eyes widened. If only she knew. 'Oh.'

At that moment the teacher arrived. He was not Mr. Yashiro, thank god. Class began and went smoothly for the rest of the day. As Satoru followed Kayo downstairs he approached her from behind. 'Kayo, do you want to walk home together?'

'You're an idiot.' said Kayo.

'What?' said Saturo.

'Remember man, she's taking the bus from now on.' said Kazu.

'Oh right.' said Saturo 'Well um, I'll walk you to the bus then.'

They made their way down to the bus stop and Satoru looked at Kayo, a question on his lips. 'Hey Kayo.'

'Yeah?' asked Kayo.

'Is everything going okay with your grandmother?' asked Satoru.

'Everything is great.' said Kayo 'She makes breakfast for me every day, and she's really nice.'

'Great, I'm glad to hear it.' said Satoru as the bus pulled up. 'Um, see you tomorrow okay.'

'See you.' said Kayo, before suddenly leaning in and kissing him on the cheek. Then she went into the bus.

As the bus pulled away Satoru tried and failed to control his blush. ' _Dude, you're twenty nine. And you're going to be almost fifty by the time you look it. This is going to be one hell of an awkward life.'_

* * *

It was graduation. There was a shrine to Gaku Yashiro at the far end of the classroom. As far as anyone knew he was a devoted and kindhearted man who'd died saving a students life. A lot of the class looked very upset, even as the teacher who'd been hired to replace Yashiro spoke. No one had ever gotten used to him, though he wasn't a jerk or anything.

He wasn't a serial killer either, so that was something.

'Congratulations everyone on your graduation. I realize I didn't get a chance to know every one of you like Mr. Yashiro, but I can tell you he'd be proud of you all. And I think he would want you all to go on to pursue your dreams, with or without him.

Life isn't about right now. It's about the future. Growing up. Growing older and wiser.

Keep learning every minute of every day for the rest of your life and your life will be worth living.'

Kayo was there, having returned to school, and she looked like she was about to start crying. Misato too. She and a bunch of others students had spent time raising money for Yashiro's medical bills and a lot of people had been contributing. He didn't have any close family to tell.

It was depressing that a mask had mattered so much to everyone.

As they filed out of the graduation they walked down the steps. No need for care now. Yashiro was gone. What did Saturo do now?

The question kept bothering him until he was eating dinner with Mom. He looked back to his old life, before the revival. What he had wanted to do and looked up with new resolve.

'Mom, I know what I want to do with my life.' said Satoru.

'Oh yeah?' asked Mom 'What do you have in mind, kiddo?'

'I want to be a manga artist.' said Satoru. 'What do you think?'

'Well I think you've got your work cut out for you.' said Mom 'I could probably get you some books on drawing.'

'Thanks.' said Satoru.

* * *

 **Authors Note:**

Okay second chapter. Usually I write them longer than this, but doing this in snippets has worked out pretty well. So here we go.


End file.
